Press

14. January 2014

A golden calling card for Europe

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg

Small and picturesque, yet prominent in the European Union (EU): over the centuries the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has repeatedly been at the center of far-reaching decisions because of its central location between Belgium to the north and west, Germany to the east and France to the south. As one of the six founding members of the European Community (EC), Luxembourg, covering just 2,586 square kilometers, is today the seat of numerous international organizations and authorities. For over 50 years it has also been the home of the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In 1992, the Edinburgh EU summit decided that the common organ of jurisdiction of the member states of the EU, today numbering 27 countries, would remain permanently in Luxembourg. The result was that the Kirchberg Plateau in the north east of the capital city experienced an unparalleled building boom. In addition to numerous European institutions – the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Auditors or the European Investment Bank – in recent years a number of banks, the headquarters of the RTL Group and “local” institutions like the trade fair ground, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Philharmonie, the Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean and the 4,300 square meter National Sporting and Cultural Center Coque have also settled on the Kirchberg Plateau. No wonder Luxembourg ranks after Strasbourg and Brussels as the third capital of the European Union.